Polk County News
2A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • May 10, 2017
Election:Ballots
are due on May 16
Continued from Page 1A
Position 3: Larry Sickles
Position 5: Bret J. Davis
Perrydale School District
Board of Directors
Position 2: Trina Comer-
ford
Position 3: Daniel Jones
Position 5: No candidate
filed
Polk County Fire District
No. 1
Position 1: Dennis Kings
Position 2: Freeman Stutz-
man
Southwest Polk Rural Fire
Protection District
Position 1: David Gwinner
Position 3: Kenneth Gard-
ner
Position 5: Rod Watson
Ash Creek Water Control
District
Positions 1, 5, 7, 8, and 9:
no candidates filed
Position 3: Madeline Fish-
er
Buell Red Prairie Water
District
Positions 1, 2 and 3: No
candidates filed
Rock Creek Water Control
District
Director 4: Jim Neal
Dallas Cemetery District
Director 1: Michael J. Boll-
man
Director 2: Mary L. Gard-
ner
Director 4: Violet Starks-
Fetters
Fir Crest Cemetery Dis-
trict
Director 4: James Warren;
Terry Gibson
Hilltop Cemetery District
Director 4: Raymond God-
frey; Michael Powers
Pedee Cemetery District
Position 1: Ted Osgood
Position 2: Daniel Russell
Salt Creek Cemetery Dis-
trict
Director 4: Albert Ratzlaff;
Tim Buhler
Measure 27-124: Polk
County facilities mainte-
nance improvements bond
for 10 years and $10 mil-
lion
Measure 27-125: South-
west Polk Rural Fire Protec-
tion District bond for 15
years and $5 million.
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Unobtainium fruit syrups and shrubs mix well with lime seltzer or any clear alcohol such as gin or vodka.
Bringing the world to Dallas
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
DALLAS — Jeff VanElverd-
inghe’s engineering career
took him all over the world,
where he experienced vari-
eties of local cuisine.
“Every place I’ve gone,
there’s been something
there that I absolutely
loved, and when I come
home I can’t have it any-
more,” VanElverdinghe said.
About 17 years ago, he
put the scientific method to
use on something other
than engineering to cure
that disappointment.
“I also love to cook, so I
figured out how to make
things from all around the
world,” he said.
His first recipe was for a
banana ketchup — or “un-
ketchup” as VanElverdinghe
calls it to avoid running
afoul of a federal law that
prohibits products contain-
ing no tomatoes from being
called ketchup.
He wasn’t selling com-
mercially, but did test
recipes on friends, giving
them samples that they
would share.
“Their friends would say
‘Hey, this great. Can I buy
it?’ They would say ‘You
can’t. It’s unobtainium.’”
The joke, a play on a
word used to describe
something that’s non-exis-
tent or nearly impossible to
acquire, gave VanElverd-
inghe’s eventual business its
name. Now he’s a full-sea-
son vendor at Dallas’ Polk
County Bounty Market and
Salem’s Saturday Market.
Lindsey Horton,
Sales & Marketing Director
for Independent Living
You asked. We’re answering. Garden
Homes at Dallas Retirement Village are on display.
By Lindsey Horton, Sales & Marketing Director
Craftsman quality. Beautifully landscaped. Stunning views. It’s no won-
der Garden Homes are a popular choice at Dallas Retirement Village.
But there’s still some curiosity out there so I thought I’d address some
of the most commonly asked questions.
Q: What does a Garden Home physically look like?
A: All of our single-level Garden Homes are step-free both inside and
out. They also feature nine-foot ceilings, wide hallways, a great room
with gas fireplace, a fully equipped kitchen with breakfast bar, two or
three bedrooms, a patio with an optional covered porch, ample storage
space and a garage. Some even come complete with a sunroom!
Q: How is living in a Garden Home different from staying in my own home?
A: It’s not just different – in many ways, it’s better. That’s because the
lifestyle you’ll enjoy at Dallas Retirement Village is maintenance free.
Gone are the worries of house and lawn upkeep. Instead, you’re free to
enjoy your time as you see fit. Spend your day simply enjoying your
lovely home or take advantage of one of our many resort-style amenities,
including two dining venues, a movie theater and library in our brand-
new Lodge Clubhouse. We also offer a fitness center, various health and
wellness programs, gardening areas, community outings, scheduled trans-
portation and so much more.
Q: What do current residents like best about their Garden Home?
A: There’s no better way to answer this question than with a direct
quote from one of the Garden Home residents. In Darlene Peters’ own
words, “I couldn’t be happier with my Garden Home at Dallas Retire-
ment Village. Knowing everything is taken care of inside and out, I have
no worries. It is true peace of mind for myself and my family. In my 10
years of living here, I haven’t regretted a day.”
Q: Garden Home living just might be for me but I’d like to see one for my-
self. How can I do that?
A: I’d love to give you a tour of a Garden Home
and the rest of our beautiful community. Simply
call me at (503) 623-9211 and I’ll set up an ap-
pointment at your convenience, or let you know
of upcoming events so you can also experience
our fun and friendly lifestyle for yourself.
Sponsored by Dallas Retirement Village.
Dallas Retirement Village is a faith-based,
non-profit organization open to all.
503-623-9211
225 NW Jasper St, Dallas, OR 97338
www.dallasretirementvillage.com
Perfect Pairing
When choosing your
“unketchup,” VanElverd-
inghe suggests the fol-
lowing pairings:
Apple — pork and
chicken sausages.
Banana — spicy chick-
en.
Blueberry — smoked
foods, such as salmon,
duck and cheese.
Cranberry — turkey or
mild chicken.
Plum and sweet cherry
— pork.
Unobtainium sells a col-
lection of “unketchups” and
fr uit syr ups and fr uit
“shrubs,” that VanElverd-
inghe developed using a
precise method to capture
just the right flavors.
“What I try to do is hijack
your taste buds,” he said. “I
love doing it.”
He does that with rare
fruit varieties or unexpected
flavor mixings, such as
quince, apple-lavender and
black pepper-black car-
damom.
The syrups are fruity, nat-
urally sweet and made with
herbs and spices to accent
the fruit flavor. They are ver-
satile, good for mixed
drinks, sodas or as a glaze.
To m a k e a s o d a ,
VanElverdinghe mixes the
syrups with lime seltzer.
“The reason that I do that
is the lime does the same to
your mouth as alcohol does
in a mixed drink,” he said.
“It brightens your palette, it
makes it more accepting to
flavors.”
JOLENE GUZMAN/Itemizer-Observer
Unobtainium started with a banana unketchup recipe.
Shrubs — a product
VanElverdinghe describes as
the “sports drink of the
1800s” — can be enjoyed the
same way or with clear alco-
hol, such as vodka or gin.
“What I’ve tried to do is
make so you get the taste of
fruit right up front, followed
by flavors that spread out
across your tongue and
lights up all your taste
buds,” he said.
“Unketchups” come in
flavors such as apple, ba-
nana, blueberry, plum and
pumpkin.
“Any of the unketchups
are an all-purpose sauce.
You can use them to baste,
g l a z e a n d m a r i n a d e,”
VanElverdinghe said. “They
all go good with fried food,
like spring rolls and eggs
rolls, and pan fried noodles,
stir fried veggies and roast-
ed root vegetables.”
He said if you are feeling
creative, you can use them
on desserts, as well.
VanElverdinghe, who
makes all his products in a
commissary kitchen in
Portland, tries to put out a
new product each month.
His next is a pineapple un-
ketchup that he said pairs
wonderfully with salmon.
In addition to farmers
markets, VanElverdinghe
sells to food service, includ-
ing West Valley Taphouse for
use on their menu items
and retail outlets in the
Portland and Salem areas.
At one place in Salem,
Scuba & Travel, Inc., he’s try-
ing to alleviate other travel-
ers of feeling the same culi-
nary letdown he had when
returning from overseas.
“That sounds funny, but
when people go out on dive
trips, they run into things
like banana ketchup,” he
said.
For more information:
unketchup.com.